


The Dissociation Dissonance

by allhaildiscordia



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I should have just worked on this instead of my current one, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21974527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allhaildiscordia/pseuds/allhaildiscordia
Summary: Penny and Leonard breaks up, and Sheldon suddenly acts  weirder than usual. (Not Shenny, oneshot for now)
Relationships: Leonard Hofstadter/Penny, Sheldon Cooper/Leonard Hofstadter, Sheldon Cooper/Penny
Comments: 7
Kudos: 67





	The Dissociation Dissonance

**Author's Note:**

> My very (I mean VERY) first fanfic, and basically my very first story. I have attempted before, but all attempts are rendered futile. All I have successfully written in the past are technical documents, and cold emails of demand sent to my coworkers lol.
> 
> I have been a fan of TBBT, and I have been rewatching, and kind of psychoanalysing the show. This is one of the dark bunnies I have stumbled upon while watching Season 3 and 5, my favorite seasons of the show.
> 
> AU. Can go dark. One shot for now, but I plan to expand this in case I got ideas. Penny/Leonard, because I believe their pairing is underrated (even though I've started to become a Shenny supporter myself). Leonard is taking too much bashing, I'd want to give it a bit of a break. But most of all, Penny/Sheldon friendship. Never seen friendship as pure as what those two have.
> 
> Never an expert with mental illness, so please bear with me. Not meant to offend anybody, and all situations in this story are just fictional. And the characters are not mine.
> 
> Constructive criticisms are welcome. English isn't my native language so pardon any grammatical errors. And also, I just wrote it in my phone's note app, so I don't have autocorrect lol. Un-beta-ed.
> 
> Pardon for the long introduction. On with the fic.

*

_"Leonard, I need to think about this. About the two of us. Maybe it's best if we don't see each other for a while..."_

_"This isn't fair to you. I'm sorry."_

*

Penny broke up with Leonard.

All of it seemed very surreal. Before everything went down the proverbial drain, he and Penny had such a great night. He picked Penny up from work, they went to the movies, ate dinner, and strolled happily around the park like all normal couples do. As far as he is concerned, the night went really well. 

Then they went to Penny's apartment, started making out, and in the heat of the moment, he blurted out the famous last words.

"I love you, Penny."

It ought be romantic, but he cannot, for the life of him, ignore the feeling that he had just hit the nail that should have been wisely left sticking out...

The one that seems to be the last nail to seal the coffin.

"Thank you, Leonard."

Leonard was stunned.

One thing lead to another, unease becomes irritation, irritation led to a shouting match, and then a big fight...

And then after Penny said those words in resignation, he retreated to the confines of this own apartment across Penny's.

*

Upon opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of his roommate sitting on his usual desk, eyes transfixed at the monitor of his laptop, his fingers occasionally tapping the touchpad. He is staring at what looks like a Word document. Or a PDF file. Must be proofreading his own work, or perusing other people's work so he can find for something to ridicule at.

"Hi Sheldon, it's already late. What'cha doing?", he asked, not really interested on what the hell his roommate is doing. God, he's tired.

A derisive snort, "Penny asked me to proofread her paper due the following day." Then a sigh, "Has your relationship reached its inevitable ugly end?"

 _Damn his Vulcan hearing._ "You heard it, huh?", Leonard said while closing the door, more like a statement rather than a question.

"You and Penny have been shouting in an inappropriately high decibel level. I would not be surprised if the whole building has been awoken by that violent spat, to which I had the misfortune to have a front row seat of."

Leonard rolled his eyes, and flopped on the middle spot of the their three-seat sofa, next to the infamous "Sheldon's spot". He sighed loudly. He didn't have the energy for this.

After a few minutes, Sheldon sat on his spot, carrying a wooden tray with two mugs. He can smell chamomile tea already steeping in it.

Sheldon carefully placed the tray on the coffee table in front of them. 

"Social protocol dictates that when a someone is upset, you should offer them a hot beverage," Sheldon said while handing the mug of hot tea to Leonard. 

"Thanks, Sheldon. You're a very good friend."

*

They sat in silence for maybe around twenty minutes. Leonard is actually enjoying the tea Sheldon made for the two of them, and was about to finish his when he noticed that Sheldon's just clutching on to his own mug of tea, which seems to be untouched. He looks blankly at the wall in front of them, his face emotionless, and his eyes glossy and unfocused.

"Uh, Sheldon...buddy? Are you alright?", Leonard said, trying to break his best friend’s reverie and weird fixation to the wall.

Sheldon seems to have landed back to Earth from wherever planet his brilliant mind has decided to wander, placed his mug on the tray, and looks at Leonard and smiled.

"I'm alright Leonard. Is there anything I could be of service to you?"

The smile is a bit disconcerting. Sheldon seldom smiles. And in those rare occurrences that he do, he's sure it's more like a menacing smirk rather than the full-blown sweet smile he is currently showing him right now.

 _"Where is he hiding that smile?"_ , Leonard said to himself. _"People will stop feeling uneasy around him if he just smiled to them like that."_

Sheldon snatched the mug Leonard is holding, and placed it on the same tray.

"Do you need more tea?", Sheldon said with a sing-song voice Leonard will never expect to come from the taller man. His eyes are expectantly looking at him.

Well, this is weird. "Sheldon, are you sure you're feeling alright? I think you need to go to sleep...it's already past your bedtime and..."

Sheldon placed his hand on Leonard's knee, and it shook Leonard to his core.

Sheldon is mysophobic. He didn't like being touched. Nor did he like touching other people.

_What the hell is happening?_

"Shelly will do anything to make you happy", Sheldon continued with that weird sing-song voice of his, "Is there anything besides tea that I can give you so you'll stop being upset? Perhaps..."

Sheldon's face is getting closer to his own, and the hand on his knees has started to travel up his thigh. There's something really wrong about Sheldon...

Leonard suddenly grabbed Sheldon's shoulders to stop him from getting any closer, "Sheldon, I really don't think this is appropriate..."

He can't stop blushing despite himself.

"But you're sad Leonard. Shelly doesn't want to see Leonard sad, and you are so cute when you are blushing...so..."

Cute. _What?_

Sheldon called him cute?

_What in the fresh piece of Hell is this all about?_

In a fit of panic, Leonard quickly extracted himself out of the situation, and ran out of the apartment.

*

She was already in her pajamas, and is on her way to her bedroom when she heard a knock on her door.

She opened the door to a sight of visibly-shaken Leonard, breathing out of his inhaler.

"Leonard, this should be really important, or I'll swear to God, I will go junior rodeo on you", Penny spat with all the bile she can exhaustedly muster, closing her eyes while pinching the nose bridge between.

_The nerve of this guy._

"I know Penny, but this is not about me. You see, Sheldon has been acting really weird right now, and I don't think I can go back to the apartment..."

"Weird? Honey, Sheldon is WEIRD. What are you talking about?"

"I mean weirder than usual. We were drinking the tea he made, you know him, "Social protocol dictates…", then all of a sudden, he's smiling weirdly, and talking to me in this sing-song manner I never heard him talk before, then he is touching my knee, then my thigh, and I think he wants to kiss me, but I am not sure...but he called me 'cute', so..."

Terrifying realization has drowned Leonard's words to a point where Penny’s not listening anymore. It has been years since something like this happened...

_It's been years since Sheldon last switched._

"...and since you're a psychologist, and has been Sheldon's best friend for far longer than I am, I'm hoping you could help me because I'm really worried that I might have broken him..."

Penny suddenly stormed out of her apartment and entered Apartment 4A.

*

Both Penny and Leonard are relieved to see Sheldon sitting quietly on his usual spot.

"Hi Penny, Hi Leonard", Sheldon acknowledged them is his sing-song voice that's not really his.

Penny sat on the middle seat next to Sheldon. She carefully placed her arms around his shoulders in a loose embrace.

"Is that you, Shelly?"

"Hi Penny...", he thoughtfully regarded her, "...you seemed upset. Are you alright? Do you need tea?", then he wrapped around his arms around Penny's waist, "Can I make you feel better?"

Penny smiled, "No Shelly, I'm fine. Just hugging you like this makes me feel better already."

Sheldon's smile reached his glossy and unfocused eyes. Then he hunched his back and looks at Leonard warily.

"What about Leonard, Penny? Is he still upset with me?"

Leonard shook his head and looked at Sheldon apologetically, "No Sheld... Shelly, I was never upset with you."

Sheldon visibly relaxed.

"I'm glad to hear that. Now tell me, is there any way I can make you feel better..."

Penny rose to her seat, bringing Sheldon with her.

"Ok Shelly, it's already past your bedtime. You need to sleep now. Penny will help you change into your PJ's. Will it be ok if Leonard helped Penny?

Sheldon's smile is blinding. Penny and Leonard can't help but giggle at how adorable Sheldon has been acting. "It's alright. I trust you two."

After they have helped Sheldon change into his PJ's, Penny procured few pills and a glass of water, which Sheldon happily took. Leonard is sitting at the end of Sheldon's bed, and Penny is singing "Soft Kitty" while being Sheldon’s big spoon.

"Soft Kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur...  
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr..."

*

Penny have handled the situation spectacularly, but after they have left Sheldon's room, she looked very tired and shaken.

Leonard handed Penny some chamomile tea then sat at the leftmost seat of the sofa next to her. 

"Are you alright?"

Penny jolted slightly after being pulled out from her thoughts, "Oh, Leonard, yes...yes I'm alright. Thanks for tea."

She sipped the tea quietly for a few minutes.

Leonard didn't have the heart to break the silence. He can't shake the feeling that they have just undergone a terrible ordeal.

It was Penny who broke the spell.

"Leonard, will you be so kind and tell Dr. Gablehauser and Mrs. Davis that Sheldon and I can't go to work tomorrow? I don't think Sheldon is ready. He's always cranky after each episode."

"Sure Penny, don't worry."

"I know you have so many questions. And it'll be selfish of me and Sheldon if I don't try to answer anything, after all you have done for us today."

Leonard wanted to say that it's fine, and they are first and foremost his friends, and he will do anything for them, but curiosity got the better of him.

"Um...about what happened, I think I have read it in one of the books my mother had in our library at home. The symptoms are similar to what I have seen earlier with Sheldon. Is that..."

"Dissociative Identity Disorder", Penny said with a sigh that seems to be an attempt at keeping her tears from falling, "Yes, Leonard. He has DID. And it has been years since his last switch."

"So, that's not really Sheldon, but his alter?"

"That's Shelly, by the way. He's sweet, not afraid to show vulnerability to others, and a people-pleaser to a fault."

"Pretty much the polar opposite of the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper", Leonard chuckled.

"Yeah", Penny smiled.

They’ve been silent for a moment, Penny nursing her hot tea.

"I'm sorry, Penny, if I'm compelled to ask this, but what happened to him? And...", Leonard swallowed loudly, "who did this to him?"

Leonard was shaking. It took all her courage not to pull Leonard into a hug.

"I don't think Sheldon remembers. Shelly doesn't want to talk about it, insisting that he is just protecting Sheldon. Sheldon may have an eidetic memory, but there are memories they don't share, as far as doctors can tell."

Leonard had a very bad feeling at the pit of his stomach. The trauma that Sheldon has experienced must have been so great, that his brain has resorted to split into two separate personalities just to protect himself.

Penny continued on, "You know, Sheldon has been my best friend ever since we were kids. My family moved from Omaha, Nebraska to Medford, Texas because my father has been offered a work there with a really good salary. The Coopers are our neighbors. And they have accepted us like we have been part of their family all along. Sheldon is my first friend, and in a town of unfamiliar houses, and equally unfamiliar faces, he made me feel welcome.

"It's pretty clear that Sheldon's miles ahead of us intellectually. He's been doing those advanced calculations that mostly just went over our heads. But, you know, he is also kind, outgoing, and loves to play and hang out with people. You have met Missy, right?"

Leonard nods.

"He is Missy's twin brother through and through...

"Then he went on to chase great things, as all prodigies always do. Went to graduate from college at eleven, got his Ph.D. When he was fifteen, he was invited to University of Heidelberg to be a guest professor...

"He has never been the same ever since he came back from Germany. We noticed the changes once he returned home. He became pedantic, obsessive-compulsive, condescending, and mysophobic. Most of his friends started to avoid him. Then one day, Mrs. Cooper can't stand Sheldon's behavior anymore, and they had a row.

"That's the first time we saw Sheldon switched. He went from infuriating to docile in a flash. Mrs. Cooper was deeply disturbed. She prayed to the Lord day and night to rid his son of whatever demon has possessed him, until Meemaw has successfully talked some sense into her, and they finally agreed to bring Sheldon to a mental hospital.

"When I saw Sheldon all alone in his room at hospital, looking at the wall, but not really looking at anything...", she inhaled back a sob, "I told to myself, I will do anything in my power to help Sheldon. I will do all that I can to help him be happy again...

"That's why I decided to become a psychologist."

*

Leonard has been shaking the whole time Penny was sharing the story. Penny tried to soothe him by rubbing his back and cooing him gently.

"It's alright Leonard. Sheldon will be okay, don't worry about it. Why don't you go to sleep? It's already 2 AM. You still have work tomorrow."

"I don't want to go to work, I wanna stay here with you and Sheldon...", Leonard told Penny in between sobs.

"Leonard, Sheldon needs to stay away from you for a while after everything that has happened. You must have done or said something that triggered the switch. It's in Sheldon's best interest if you two would cool down just for a few days."

"Is it my fault?"

"No Leonard, you didn't know anything about this beforehand."

"I understand", another sob.

Leonard is currently making it very hard for Penny to not love him more.

"Honey, go to sleep, I can handle this. I'll be right here."

"Okay", Leonard sobs.

Penny kissed Leonard on the forehead, "Don't worry, I'll be here in the living room if you need me.

"Do you need blankets and pillows?"

"That would be very much appreciated."

*


End file.
